Rs 55cr grant for Mangalore airport

Central govt's grant for airport's second airstrip

The Centre has agreed to grant Rs 55 crore for the construction of the second airstrip at the Mangalore airport, according to PGR Sindhia, Karnataka's minister for industries, infrastructure and development.

Speaking at the 87th annual general meeting of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) in Bangalore on Tuesday, Sindhia said: "This was a long-standing demand by the state government as the current airstrip at the Mangalore airport is short and requires a good back-up in the form of a second runway."

Referring to his recent deliberations with Union minister for civil aviation Praful Patel, Sindhia said that the Centre has agreed to upgrade the Mysore and Hampi airports.

Both these locations are a major attraction for tourists from around the world. "The Union minister has agreed for upgrading the facilities at these two airports. The ministry has also agreed to provide night landing facilities at the Hubli airport," Sindhia said.

The minister expressed happiness over the civil aviation ministry's consent to sign the all-important 'Concessional Agreement' on July 5, which should pave way for a financial closure and the commencement of construction of the Bangalore International Airport.

Later in the evening, Sindhia participated in the 27th annual general meeting of the Greater Mysore Chamber of Industry (GMCI).

Reacting to the demands made by Indra Prem Menon, president of GMCI, the minister said that the he was unhappy with the functioning of the Karnataka Industries Area Development Board (KIADB). "I am unhappy with the way it is functioning. We are keen on revamping KIADB," he said.

Assuring support from his ministry, Sindhia said that a special cell has been constituted for clearing the pending projects. "All the pending projects will be cleared within the next 100 days," he added.

Addressing the industrial community, Scindhia said: "We do not want you to have any apprehensions about the stability of the government (the Congress-JD-S ruling coalition). We have decided to solve all our differences and come together. We are committed to the cause of Karnataka. I would like to assure you that it is an investor-friendly and an industrialist-friendly government."